by Tim Moon
Pushing ahead would be foolish. Jaron decided to backtrack until he returned to firm ground and then head in the same direction as the sunset. Assuming the sun tracked east to west, he had been travelling south and turning to follow the sun would take him west. Of course, that relied on the assumption that Drezkarn operated like Earth in that respect. He realized that might not be the case.
Jaron turned around and after only ten minutes, he was breathing hard. He knew that he had been walking slightly downhill, but it didn’t seem like much at the time. Now, the incline was kicking his ass.
Had he misread his character sheet? Was his luck stat really 10 like he thought or 01? Because everything about this situation was totally fucked.
As if the gods of Drezkarn were listening, a prompt appeared in his vision.
Huzzah! Your self-discipline and hard work have paid off. You have gained +1 Endurance. Stay on your current path and great things are possible.
Jaron sneered at the false cheer in the message. The hill did not feel like it held great things, but he was mildly pleased with the ability point.
When he reached firm ground again, Jaron had to cross the stream to follow the sun west. He knew this section of the stream was deep and it didn’t get shallow for a few more miles upstream. His legs felt like rubber and the thought of walking another few miles uphill was disheartening. Jaron would cross where he was. He sat down to catch his breath and surveyed the stream.
The water itself was clear. In this section, it darkened to a rich blue that Jaron estimated was chest deep. He thought of rock hopping across, but that idea was dashed right away. A quick glance showed that dry rocks were few and far between. Using them to leapfrog across would be too risky. Jaron didn’t want to fall and get injured out there while he was alone. That would be the end of him.
Wading it is, Jaron thought.
He stood with a grunt of exhaustion. The sweat equity he invested into making the spear proved its value as it became a vital tool to remain upright in the deceptively powerful stream. He held the fire sticks above his head to keep them dry. His weakened limbs trembled, and he was forced to take small steps to avoid slipping. With a determined set of his jaw, Jaron forged ahead.
A mere ten feet away from the opposite shore, a rock gave out beneath his foot. He reached for one of the few rocks poking above the surface to brace himself but missed. Jaron fell sideways with a yelp and splash. The powerful current pushed him several feet away. His feet and hands couldn’t find a stable surface to halt his momentum. He breached the surface long enough for a breath before the water pulled him under and pressed his body against a rock a dozen feet away from where he fell. Jaron’s eyes popped open as he pushed against the rock. The current pinned him against the rock under water. One arm was trapped against the stone and he couldn’t move it. The boulder kept him from drifting downstream, but the current wedged him between the rock and the stream bed. He tried to push away from the rock to free his pinned arm to no effect.
Jaron struggled and felt his lungs begin to burn with the effort. His hands kept slipping and he was just so damn weak. Panic set in as the water seemed determined to crush him against the rock.
What a stupid fucking way to die, he thought. This was not going to happen. He’d come so far already.
In pure desperation, he pulled his legs into his chest and pushed against the stream bed, trying to launch himself out of the water. His feet dug furrows into the muddy silt. They slid several inches and then found purchase. Jaron pushed with all his might. At the same time, he pushed with his free hand.
A growl built up in his chest as he strained with all his power. His stamina bar plunged to just 10% as his body launched up and his head broke the surface. He roared with the effort, and then immediately gasped for air, desperate for oxygen.
Never had a breath of fresh air felt so good. Jaron scrambled onto the rock that nearly killed him and hugged it, completely spent and panting like a dog. His arms and legs burned from the effort and his head swam at the rush of oxygen.
“Yeeeeeessssss!” Jaron shouted against the rock, too tired to lift his head. A tear may have escaped his clenched eyes but he was too wet to tell. He just felt grateful to have survived.
“My, my,” a woman’s voice said with a hint of amusement. “Aren’t you a sight?”
Jaron would never admit it, but he squeaked in surprise as his eyes shot open and his head popped up like a gopher. Pushing up to his elbows and blinking rapidly to clear the water, Jaron looked in the direction of the voice.
To his amazement, an old woman in a green hooded cloak stood hunched over plants along the shore, picking leaves. She held a brown sack that appeared to be made of burlap and carefully placed her pickings inside. The lady moved as slow and casual as if nothing had happened.
Jaron’s mouth fell open. Had she been there the whole time? Had she seen him nearly drown and done nothing to help?
“Hey- Wha- Sonof- Aaah!” Gritting his teeth, Jaron bit back a sharp retort and stream of curses. After all, she was an old lady. Honestly, what could he have expected her to do? Haul him out of the water?
“Who are you and why are you here?” the woman asked as she continued to pick plants.
Jaron couldn’t believe it. Turning over and sitting up on the rock, his stomach growled. Without thinking, Jaron blurted “Do you have food or water?”
He scrambled from the rock and carefully waded across the last stretch of water to reach his intended shore. His heart raced and he looked at her hopefully. He kept his distance. She was alone and he didn’t want to intimidate her. “Please, I haven’t eaten in days. Anything you have would be very much appreciated.”
The woman stopped and slowly turned to face him. Most of her face was shaded in the hood. Now that he saw the cloak up close, Jaron noted that it appeared to be made of leaves. It blended in surprisingly well with the foliage.
I would love to have a cloak like that, Jaron thought. Perfect for sneaking up on prey or ambushing an enemy.
The woman’s lips pressed into a tight line that spread to become a smile of sorts. Something about it sent a ripple of caution through Jaron.
“You didn’t answer my question,” she said simply.
He sighed. “I’m Jaron and I’m completely lost. I’m new to these lands and have no idea where I am. Can you help me?”
Now that he said it aloud, he contemplated the wisdom of admitting so much up front. It could be viewed as a weakness to take advantage of. There was no telling how people might leverage that information. Still, survival trumped caution at this point so he put it out of his mind.
Jaron regarded the woman carefully, hoping she would help.
While he had sized her up, he realized she was doing the same to him. She pulled back her hood just enough to expose her face. Her eyes were golden brown and had a sharpness to them that surprised him. Long, rich black hair framed her face. Her features were pleasant but not especially beautiful.
All Jaron really cared about was sustenance. If she could provide that, great. A small part of him also found it comforting to finally find another person.
The silence stretched on. He shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat.
“Please, if you have any small morsel, I would be most grateful,” Jaron said, giving her his best puppy dog look.
“You must wait while I work.” She reached into her cloak. “But you may eat this while I collect what I need.” Her hand emerged with a large bread roll.
Congratulations! You begged for aid and a stranger gave you sustenance. Doing so unlocked the skill Persuasion. You have progressed 10% through level 1. Reward: 50 XP Continue honing your skills to reach your true potential.
Jaron practically leaped across the space that separated them. He hesitated for only a moment as he reached for the bread, flashing her a grateful smile, and then took the roll from her before retreating several feet. He unconsciously hunched over the roll protectively, as if she might take it back.
The first bite crunched heartily while the center was soft and delicious. He groaned in pleasure and squatted down in the sun to finish it.
“I know the feeling, believe me,” the woman said. Her eyes roved over him and she cackled to herself before returning to picking plants.
Jaron might have shivered at the look she gave him, but he was too engrossed in his bread roll to care.
7
Jaron tried his best to savor the bread, but he devoured it. He wondered if the bread would be enough to complete Rumbly In My Tumbly II. No prompt appeared though. Possibly because it had specified a meal and a bread roll didn’t really qualify as one even though to him it was practically a feast.
Jaron licked up every crumb on his hand and couldn’t wait for more. The woman looked like someone’s grandma. He wondered what else she might have stashed in her cloak. Or what delicacies she might have or be able to make at home. Would she invite him over? Could he follow her to steal some food when she left or fell asleep? His mind raced at the possibilities, his hunger driving wild fantasies through his mind.
The woman continued to pluck leaves. When she strode a few meters away, Jaron reached out for her and followed though he maintained a healthy distance. The woman inspected the ground with a critical eye, knelt and began to dig up roots.
Jaron watched her carefully. Despite her obvious age, she was lithe and moved with confidence. She moved deeper into the forest and he followed without being asked. Fear that she might disappear may have been a consideration, but he would never admit that.
After a minute or so of inspecting her, a prompt appeared.
Congratulations! You have learned the value of carefully evaluating those around you. Doing so unlocked the skill Analyze. Use analyze to gain important information about sentient beings, animals and magical creatures. Much can be learned through observation, and more information will become available as you level the skill. You have progressed 25% through level 1. Reward: 50 XP Continue honing your skills to reach your true potential.
Pride filled Jaron at unlocking another new skill and he began to wonder how it might be used. That inspired a range of questions but there was another prompt.
Huzzah! Your self-discipline and hard work have paid off. You have gained +1 Perception. Stay on your current path and great things are possible.
The sound of drums and the clash of blades sounded at the same time and Jaron was presented with a new and glorious notification.
Hooah! You have reached level 2! You have risen above adversity and earned valuable experience through hard work and perseverance. Continue to strive for greatness, Outlander. You now have 6 attribute points and 50% skill progress to distribute within the next 48 hours. Do not delay or they will be allocated for you.
Sweet! Things sure seemed to be looking up.
Jaron quickly opened his character sheet and considered how to allocate his attribute points. With eleven attributes to choose from, he had to be selective. Experience with other role-playing games had shown Jaron that many players focused on min/maxing their stats. It would make them powerful at one or two things but they often lacked versatility.
If he followed that, he could also become formidable in one or two roles, and in a game where you could restart, or the outcomes didn’t matter, that might make sense. Jaron couldn’t restart in Drezkarn and the effects of his choices would last as long as… Well, he wasn’t sure how long exactly, but he had a sense that he would be investing a significant amount of time in the game.
If Jaron maxed his strength and became strong enough to punch a hole in someone’s face but was too dumb to realize when that was a bad idea, he might spend the rest of his life in a dungeon. On the other hand, if he became a genius but was physically weak, he would have to rely on others for his personal safety. Jaron didn’t like the idea of being reliant on others, especially for something as basic as safety.
The attribute descriptions were thorough enough that he had a decent idea how to proceed for the type of character he wanted to play. And he was still early enough in the game so there was no point overthinking it. Without another moment of hesitation, Jaron distributed one point to strength, agility and constitution. Then he added two points to intelligence and his final point went into wisdom.
This brought to his total attribute scores to:
Strength: 12
Agility: 11
Dexterity: 10
Constitution: 11
Endurance: 12
Intelligence: 12
Wisdom: 12
Perception: 11
Creativity: 10
Charisma: 9
Luck: 10
He still had that damn penalty for charisma. Shaking his head, Jaron considered his skill percentage. He was about to add 25% each to analyze and athletics when he realized that if he added 30% to athletics, he would reach skill level 2. So, that’s what he did — 30% into athletics and 20% into analyze. He pocketed a cool 100 XP for hitting skill level 2, which was nice.
Jaron now had 5% experience towards reaching level 3 and he felt pretty good about that. Now that he finished updating his character sheet, he turned his attention back to the woman. If he was lucky, which experience and his measly 10 points in luck did not suggest he was, she would be able to lead or direct him to the nearest village. He wanted to ask her but realized he didn’t even know her name.
Recognizing it as a prime opportunity to test his new skill and her truthfulness, Jaron activated analyze.
Name: Myra Bathory
Race: Human
Gender: Female
Age: Unknown
Height: 5’ 7” (170 cm)
Weight: 132 lbs (60 kg)
Alignment: Unknown
Level: Unknown
Health: Unknown
Mana: Unknown
Stamina: Unknown
Defense: Unknown
Well, that did fuck all, Jaron thought. His skill level was so low that the important parts of her character sheet, like class or ability scores, didn’t even show up. He had learned her name though and that was a decent start.
“Forgive me. In my desperation, I forgot my manners and realized that I didn’t ask your name,” he said.
The woman looked over her shoulder at him, flashing a smirk. “Yes, that is true.”
“Um, okay,” he muttered with an awkward drawl. “What’s your name?”
She cackled. “I am called Myra Bathory.”
“Nice to meet you Myra. You’ve spent a lot of time picking plants. Are you an herbalist?” he asked.
“Indeed, I am,” she replied with a raised eyebrow. “What do you know about herbalism?”
“Honestly, not much.” Jaron chuckled. “During my trek here, I made the mistake of eating some berries that made me sick. It was terrible.” His nose wrinkled and a grimace contorted his face at the memory of exploding at both ends. “Anyway, I’m still sick and was hoping you might know of a cure. Unless there’s a village nearby with a doctor, in which case, I’d be grateful if you pointed me in the right direction.”
“What did these berries look like?”
Jaron lit up. “They were blue and about this big.” He made a circle with his thumb and index finger to indicate the size. “The bush had nasty thorns too.”
“Fool,” Myra muttered a little too loud. “You should not harvest or eat things you know nothing about.”
“Obviously.”
“Is it?” she snapped, raising an eyebrow at him.
Jaron opened his mouth to snap back at her but realized she was right. It also wouldn’t help his situation to antagonize someone he need help from. He let out an exasperated sigh.
“You’re right. It was a stupid mistake. One I will not make again.” Jaron gave her his best puppy dog look. “Can you help me?”
He saw a flicker of something in her eyes before she blinked it away and gave a curt nod.
“I am certain we can help each other to our mutual satisfaction.” Myra smirked and crooked
a finger at him. “Follow me, Jaron. You can stay with us and enjoy a wholesome home cooked meal.”
“Perfect,” Jaron said. Something she said raised a flag. “Wait, who is us?”
“My husband is with the boat. You shall help him around the house. We are both old, you see. Your strength and vigor will be much appreciated.”
“Uh-huh,” Jaron grunted.
“Come. My work here is done.”
“What kind of work do you need help with?” he asked.
“We do not give handouts. You must work for your food.”
“Fair enough.” Jaron shrugged. She had not answered his question though. “What kind of work?” he repeated.
“I cannot say what work you will do. Lurch will assign the chores,” she said.
“Your husband’s name is Lurch?” he blurted. He felt his cheeks flush. “Sorry. No offense.”
Myra narrowed her eyes slightly, but she waved away his apology and continued what she was saying. “Fear not, the chores will not be difficult. You are capable enough. Lurch is a brutish dolt. He does what he is told though and that suits me.” Myra cackled at the sky and grinned wolfishly. “Come along. We have a way to go before dark.”
Jaron felt a compulsion to follow despite being a little creeped out by the look in her eyes.
8
They walked west, skirting the edge of the swamp as Jaron had planned. Despite his boneheaded mistakes, it was nice to have his instincts redeemed. Myra led the way through tall grass that grew beside plants that looked like cattails. Jaron recalled that the cattail could provide a decent amount of food.
His grip tightened on the spear as he followed. Myra paused by a tree to pluck orange and brown fungi from its trunk.
“Is that edible?” Jaron asked.
